EDGEWORTH, M.ARIA (1767-1849), Irish novelist, sec ond child and eldest daughter of Richard Lovell Edgeworth (q.v.) and his first wife, Anna Maria Elers, was born in the house of her maternal grandparents at Black Bourton, Oxfordshire, on Jan. 1, 1767. She had ample opportunities for society among her father's neighbours in Ireland, among whom were the second Lord Longford, whose daughter, "Kitty" Pakenham, became later duchess of Wellington ; Lady Moira at Castle Forbes ; and Maria's aunt, Margaret Ruxton, at Black Castle. She gained a first-hand experience of the Irish peasantry by acting as her father's as sistant in the management of the estate. The Edgeworths were in Ireland from 1793 onwards through that dangerous period, and Maria's letters, always gay and natural, make very light of their anxieties and their real perils.
It has been the fashion to regard Mr. Edgeworth's influence over Maria's work as altogether deplorable, but she undoubtedly derived a stimulus from his powerful mind. Her first publication was a plea for the education of women, Letters to Literary Ladies , and in 1796 appeared The Parent's Assistant (2nd ed., 6 vols., 1800), a collection of stories which had been submitted as they were written to the juvenile critics of the Edgeworth nursery. They were therefore children's stories for children, even though the morals were Mr. Edgeworth's. Practical Education (2 vols., 1798) was written in conjunction with her father, who also collaborated with her in the Essay on Irish Bulls (1802) . Miss Edgeworth's first novel, Castle Rackrent, appeared anony mously in 1800. It is the story of an Irish estate and its owners, the Rackrents, as told by Thady, the steward. Its success was immediate, and a second edition soon appeared with the author's name. The personages appear to be drawn immediately from the natives of Edgeworthstown, though Miss Edgeworth asserts that only Thady himself was an actual portrait. The book influenced Scott. In the "Postscript, which should have been a preface," in the original edition of Waverley, Scott describes his aim as being "in some distant degree to emulate the admirable Irish portraits of Miss Edgeworth, so different from the leagues' and `dear joys' who so long, with the most perfect family resemblance to each other, occupied the drama and the novel." Belinda (1801) is a society novel, and one of her best books. Saintsbury thinks that Miss Austen's heroines owe something of their natur alness to Belinda, who was one of the earliest to break with the tradition of fainting and blushing. Moral Tales for Young People (5 vols.) and Early Lessons, which included "Harry and Lucy," "Rosamond" and "Frank," appeared in 1801.
In 1802 the Edgeworths went abroad, first to Brussels and then to Paris. They had already connections in Paris through their kinsman, the abbe Edgeworth de Firmont, who was, however, then in exile. They met all the notabilities in Paris, and Maria refused an offer of marriage from a Swedish count named Edel crantz. Although Leonora, not published until four years later, is said to have been written to meet his taste, she apparently remained then and always heart-whole ; but her stepmother thought otherwise and maintained that she suffered severely for her decision (Memoir, i. 144). Returning to Edgeworthstown, Miss Edgeworth resumed her writing, which was always done in the rooms commonly used by the whole family. Popular Tales was published in 1804, and The Modern Griselda in the same year; Leonora in 1806; and in 1809 the first series of Tales of Fashionable Life, three volumes containing "Ennui," "Madame de Fleury," "Almeria," "The Dun" and "Manoeuvring"; the second series (3 vols., 1812) included "The Absentee," one of her best tales, which was originally designed as a play, "Vivian" and the clever study of émigré life, "Emilie de Coulanges." In 1813 Maria and her parents spent a considerable time in London, and her society was much sought after. When Waverley was pub lished, Miss Edgeworth received a copy from the publishers, and at once recognized the authorship. She wrote a long letter of appreciation (Oct. 23, 1814) to "the author of Waverley," which she began with the phrase aut Scotus, cut diabolus, but the letter was merely acknowledged by the publishers. Patronage (4 vols., 1814), the longest of her novels, and Harrington, a tale, and Ormond, a tale (3 vols., 1817) complete the list of the works which received what her father called his imprimatur.
After his death in 1817 Miss Edgeworth occupied herself with completing his Memoirs, which were published in 182o. In 182o she was again in Paris, and in 1823 she spent a fortnight with the Scotts at Abbotsford. In 1825 Scott went to Edgeworthstown, and their relations were always cordial. Miss Edgeworth's pro duction was less after her father's death. Sequels to "Rosamond," "Frank," "Harry and Lucy" in the Early Lessons were published in 1822-1825. Comic Dramas appeared in 1817, and Helen in 1834. In 1846 she worked strenuously for the relief of the famine-stricken Irish peasants. She died on May 22, 1849.
Miss Edgeworth's novels are distinguished by good sense, humour and vivacious dialogue. She expressly calls some of her stories "Moral Tales"; but the freshness of her stories, her in sight into character, lively dialogues, originality of invention and delightfully clear style render it quite possible to read her works in succession without any sense of weariness.